It is quite common in the electrical connector industry today to require that electrical terminals have redundant retention means within their connector housings. The first or primary means of retaining the electrical terminals within the housing is to have a stamped-out lance from the electrical terminal metal body, which abuts a shoulder within the housing. The redundant or secondary retention means is typically profiled as a plastic movable member, which can be moved into place over the terminal to lock the terminal in place. Some of these members are moved transversely of the axial direction, while some are defined as hinged flaps, which are rotated into place. These flaps include plastic tabs which, when rotated, reside in a groove or gap within the terminal to retain the contact in place.
In one prior method, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,893, an electrical connector housing has a hinged flap which rotates into place. The electrical connector has an insulating housing and a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in terminal receiving passageways within the housing. The housing includes an upper retention flap including a retention tab which, when in its locked location, is positioned adjacent to an edge of the terminal to retain the terminal in the passageway. The flap has tabs which reside at an edge of the contact to prevent withdrawal thereof. If more than one row of contacts is present, then two hinged flaps on the outside of each of the two rows are used to retain the terminals in place.
It is also well known in the industry to provide a hybrid electrical connection system, comprised of both signal and power contacts. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,557 and EP Patent Application 0951102. In particular with hybrid connectors, given the complexity and cost, it is desirable to be able to remove and/or replace contacts within the connector without destroying or damaging the electrical connector or any of the connections thereto.
The objects of the invention are therefore to improve upon these known connection systems.